Together
by BloodBoredom
Summary: Post-game. Dunban gets a job defending Alcamoth, deals with his life and budding relationship with Vanea.


_Xenoblade Chronicles_

* * *

_Dunban, the first wielder of the Monado, had summoned the members of the party that resided in Colony 9 to a meeting._

"It's been a year since then, huh?" Dunban, one of the heroes that ended the war between the two gods, mused to himself.

"I s'pose, though it doesn't really feel that long ago," a boisterous redhead replied.

"That's 'cause you've been slacking off your defense force duties," a blonde boy snarked.

"Not to mention, he's been sleeping on the job when he does his patrol," Fiora, Dunban's sister, chuckled.

"Oi, you two ganging up on me?" Reyn shook his head in surrender, "That ain't fair at all."

"Hahaha, ease up Reyn," Shulk laughed, "it's not like we have much to worry about outside the occasional wild animal."

"Shulk's right, though you really shouldn't be slacking off like that Reyn," the retired soldier scolded, "otherwise, Squaretache is gonna throw a fit."

"So, uh, brother, why did you call us out here?" the Homs girl threw her brother a questioning look.

"Since we've already hung up our swords, there's no more reason for me to hang around the base as an Instructor anymore," the swordsman answered, "I've taken up a new job to help the Machina and High Entia reconstruct the parts of the capital that were damaged when the Bionis crumbled."

"Y-you're moving away?" the younger sibling asked, crestfallen.

"Crying already?" the elder sibling laughed, "I'll be gone a two months at a time, apparently, the Machina aren't quite fit for combat since the fall of Mechonis has made their resources rather scarce, so I'll be going in to help with the stray creatures or defense mechanisms that engage us as we rebuild the city."

"Oh yeah, like when we went on to help Melia," the redhead rubbed his chin, "I remember those nasty buggers, came flying out of nowhere."

"Hmm," the wielder of the True Monado took out a little notepad from his pocket, "it might be a bit much asking you this Dunban, but can you try to bring some parts back with you when you next return, some of the machinery that we've installed in the caves need some repair since the Brogs keep trying to smash them."

"I'll see what I can do," the brunette replied, "oh, have any of you seen Vanea?'

_-Flashback, months after the final battle-_

_The swordsman opened the door as he took of for some fresh air._

"Can't sleep?" Vanea, sister of Egil, and one of the Machina's head researchers, asked.

"Not like this," Dunban replied, "the waiting is unbearable more so that I can't do a thing."

"You care a great deal for your sister, don't you?" the Machina inquired.

"Our parents died when we were young, so I've always had to look after Fiora," the swordsman began to speak his tale, "it wasn't until I joined the Defense Corps that she had started spending so much time with Shulk and Reyn."

"When Egil and I were younger, he'd chase after trouble without a care in the world," Vanea replied, "and father would grumble and complain if I didn't keep an eye on him."

"Sounds like you have fond memories of your brother," Dunban said with a somber expression.

"Not much different from any other childhood I suppose," the woman hummed, "though in a Machina time scale, it lasted a few hundred years."

"Ha, a hundred years as a child? You must have given your parents a lot of grief," the swordsman nodded.

"Nothing you can possibly imagine," the researcher added, "she'll be alright."

"..." the former wielder of the Monado kept his silence.

"There's nothing to worry about, the procedure has no possibility of failing," Vanea continued to speak.

"That obvious?" Dunban asked.

"Very," the woman replied, "but, I think you should be put under observation as well...your arm bothers you, doesn't it?"

"It hasn't stopped me from fighting, I don't see the harm," the warrior countered.

"The power of the Monado was never meant to be used by anyone other than its true master," the Machina rebutted, a grave expression on her face, "the damage it has done to you is..."

"Vanea?" the warrior scowled, "Is it that bad?"

"I'd need to run some test, and those would take some time to go over, but it is treatable," the woman replied in a thoughtful pose, "we might even get your arm to function properly again."

-_End Flashback_-

* * *

_-Alcamoth, One Month Later-_

_The reconstruction efforts were going along smoothly, the combined technological might of both the Machina and the High Entia allowed for most tasks to be completed in short spans of time. Dunban resided by the coast line along with the other soldiers as the transporters were gravely damaged in the final battle, necessitating the construction of a bridge._

"That's strange, we usually see a lot more Krabbles around this time," the sole Homs warrior muttered.

"Maybe they've migrated," one High Entia guardsman postulated, "it is possible if we consider the environment linked to the Bionis."

"But it is strange for them to do it overnight," a Machina warrior said skeptically, "it's also possible that a new predator may be on the loose."

"Speaking from experience?" Dunban wondered.

"Ye-" the machine man was knocked aside by a swift blur.

"What the-?" the man with white wings on his head took up a defensive stance.

"Up from above!" the Homs warrior drew his blade, "Everyone, prepare for battle."

_The machina fighter was able to stand with the aid of a few of his High Entia comrades and all in the area sounded the alarms. A great beast, with menacing red eyes, leathery wings, pointed fangs and a prehensile tail that unleashed massive bolts of energy, flew circles around them, forcing them to head for the lighthouse._

"Is it trying to corner us here?" one man aligned to the ether mumbled.

"Aye, but this creature instinctively attacks its prey on their nests," the seasoned mechanical man grunted, "while it may be damaged, this structure should have adequate defenses."

"But we've been cut off from consistent power since the final battle," the former wielder of the Monado pointed out.

"I can jerry-rig this place to fry that thing, but I'll need a couple of minutes," the injured fighter scoffed at his injuries.

"You heard him," the Homs smirked, "time for us to be tasty distractions."

"I'd rather you not try any more 'inspirational' speeches," a High Entia spearman, in what Homs would consider their 40's sighed.

"I'm not even sure I can shoot that thing at all," a young gunner whimpered, "did you see how fast if moved?"

"I felt it," the Machina fighter shot back, adjusting several wires in a nearby console.

_The group slowly made their way out, weapons drawn and spirits determined. _

_Dunban lead the charge, dodging the lethal blasts of ether that were launched against him._

"It'll take more than that to stop me," the Homs smirked as he raised his sword overhead and leaped at the creature, embedding his sword on its back upon landing.

_The monster spun in an attempt to knock the swordsman off its back, forcing Dunban to hang on for dear life._

"Lining up a shot!" one gunner announced as he aimed his rifle, "C'mon Dunban, get out of the way!"

"Just fire!" the hero ordered as he drove his blade deeper, forcing the creature to writhe in pain.

_A single shot was fired at the monstrosity, leaving a large open wound on the beast's wing, causing it to descend rapidly towards the ground._

"Grooaaww!" the flying creature roared, the sound loud enough to force Dunban off of its back.

"Yaaagh!" the Homs screamed as he made impact with the shallow water by the islet's shoreline.

_The flyer headed upwards, out of the team's view, slowly regenerating its wounded wing. Little did the animal know, it was being watched by its initial target._

"Time to fry!" the Machina said with glee as he finished reactivating the defense mechanism of the tower, a brilliant flash ensued, followed by a loud thud nearby.

"Is it dead?" one High Entia spearman wondered.

"It better be," Dunban groaned as he dried himself, "what is that thing anyway."

"Never got around to naming them, they were thought to be extinct after the first war," the eldest member of the group spoke, "the Telethia were their natural predators."

"That makes more sense then," the gunner nodded, "our numbers aren't what they were and very few of us are pureblooded."

"We'll need to report this then," the swordsman added, taking out a communicator from his pocket, "who knows how many more of them are out there?"

_AN: My first XC fanfic and yes I know the pairing is unusual, but it just had so much potential to become something in the game. Both are elder siblings that really worry about the younger ones, Vanea is smart while Dunban is strong, and more often than not, they seem to be amongst the more reasonable people in the story. AND the epilogue shoulder tap..._


End file.
